Retort-door and means for closing same.



No. 638,!22. Patented Nov. 28, 1299.

- .1. B. HOUSTON.

RETORT DOOR AND MEANS FOR CLOSING SAME.

(Application fled Aug. 12, 1899.)

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(No Model.)

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Patented Nov. 28, I899.

J. B. HOUSTUN. RETORT noon AND mums FUR cnosma SAME.

(Application filed Aug. 12, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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NiTED STATES PATENT anion,

JOHN HOUSTON, OF VANCOUVER, oANADA, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM H.

ARMSTRONG AND ALEXANDER MORRISON, OF SAME PLACE.

RETORT-DOOR AND MEANS FOR CLOSING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,122, dated November28, 1899.

Application filed August 12,1899. Serial No. 727,019. (No model.)

T 0% whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN BROADFOOT Hous- TON, a citizen of the Dominionof Canada, residing at Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia,Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Retort-Doors and Means for Closing; the Same, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in closure-doors for closingretorts, steam-boxes, or reservoirs adapted to hold steam under highpressure-as, for example, retorts in machines for bending wood-in whichI so arrange the door on the pressure side of its seat that the internalpressure will force it forward upon its seat and effectively close theopening.

The object of my invention is to provide a door or closure for a retortor other like vessel that is comparatively cheap to make, light andsimple of operation, and one that is effective in its operation byreason of the covers of the openings for the door and its slideway atthe top being sealed by internal pressure. Other advantages over otherdoors of this class now in use will be seen when this specification andthe appended claims are fully understood. I attain this object by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1shows a side view of the retort with a vertical cross-section throughthe center of the door. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the door. Fig. 3is an enlarged detail of one of the fulcra ortrunnions on which theflapdoor swings that closes the opening through which the door properpasses when being opened. This view is taken on the line a a in Fig. 4in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is the same mechanism taken on theline?) b in Fig. 3 in the direction of the arrow, and Fig. 5 shows anenlarged detail of the handlevers for drawing the door forward to itsseat before the pressure is turned on.

Similar numerals and letters refer to similar parts throughout all theviews.

The vessel A, intended to be closed by my door, as shown in theillustration, is preferably of cylindrical form and is dished at itsclosed end, as B, so as to give a maximum of strength with a minimum ofweight.

indicates a stout cast-iron frame secured to the open end of the vesselto be closed. This frame 10 comprises important features of myinvention, and as it is required to receive the entire strain ofv thethrust of the door from within and also provide a means for allowing thedoor to be raised and lowered through an opening in its top it isessential that this part should be designed on scientific principles.

Directly in front of the lip or rim 10", that embraces the open mouth ofthe vessel A, is an enlarged recess a, in which the door 11 is received,this at the bottom being of semicircular form, as better shown in Fig.2, and passing upward it extends through a raised portion of the frame10, as 10". Arranged in the recess a or around in front of the mouth ofthe retort or vessel A on the frame 10 is an annular rim 10 In thecenter of this rim 1O is a groove 10 and fixed in this groove on an evenplane is a rubber packing 10 The door 11 is made of the same material asthe body of the retort A and is of concavocon vexo form dishedoutward,the same as the closed end B, and the rim or edge, as 11, isbent round, forming a circular rim which when the door is closed fitsagainst the packing lO lying in the groove 10 For drawing the door toits seat 10 before the pressure is turned on I provide hand-levers l2,pivotally fulcrumed on pins or studs 13 on the inner opposite'edges ofthe rim 10. These hand-levers 12 are provided with projections 14 ontheir outer sides between their points of pivot and their inner ends,and as these levers are moved upward the projections 14 will engagefixed brackets 15 on the opposite sides of the door 11 and pull itforward against its seat, and as the said levers are reversed presseddownward the inner ends will engage the door 11 in the annular hollow(see Fig. 1) formed by the dish and the rim 10 and press it back fromthe rubber seat, so that the seat will not be dragged in the operationof raising the door.

Securely fixed to the lower outer side of the door is a bracket 16, andrigidly bolted to this is a horizontal bar 17, the opposite ends ofwhich are rounded off and provided with small antifriction-rollers 18.

Fulcrumed on studs 19, projecting from the opposite exterior sides ofthe vessel A, are balance-levers 20, the forward ends of which areslotted, as which slots receive the rollers 18 and allow them to move tothe versed sine of the arc as the door 11 is moved up and down. On theopposite ends of the levers 20 are balance-weights 21, which may beadjusted by moving to make the door properly balance.

For closing the upper side of the opening a at the top of the frame 10,through which the door 11 is passed when raised, I provide a flap-door22, which is preferably made of the same material as the door 11 and isdished downward to make it rigid. The engaging edge of this fiap-door ison an even plane and when closed is received on a packing-strip 23,fixed in a groove 1O around the said opening. Securely fixed near theopposite ends of this flap-door 22 are brackets 24, having slottedapertures 24 therein, which receive the flattened ends of fulcrum-bars25, passing through glands 26 in the opposite walls of the frame 10. Toprevent these bars from being blown out by the pressure from within,

1 collars 25 are provided thereon, which lie against the inner sides ofthe glands 26.

Secured to the projecting ends of the fulcrum-bars 25 are levers 27,which when the door is closed will be in a horizontal position. (SeeFigs. 3and 4.) Atthe outer ends of these levers 27 are balance-weights28, which lift the door to its seat on the packing 23 and when thepressure is turned on the slots 24* in the bracket 24 allow the door tomove upward and be pressed tightly onto its seat.

To insure that the frame 10 will be equal to all strains to which it maybe subjected without danger of bursting, I bridge the front side of thevent above the main door-seat with ribs 10 and the rear side is curvedoutward, as 10, which gives the required strength with a minimum ofweight.

I am aware that prior to this invention steam-boxes and other vessels ofthis class have been closedby the door being forced forward onto itsseatand sealed by internal pressure. Therefore I do not wish to makebroad claims to this as a principle, but

WVhat I do claim, and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a door of the class described, in combination; a frame 10 securedto the mouth of the vessel to be closed, a passage-way for a doordownward through said frame, and a flexible seat arranged around theopening to be closed and designed to receive the rim of the door,hand-levers 12 having devices thereon for drawing the door to its seat,and balance-levers for raising said door, a flap-door for closing theopening through which the main door slides when being opened, fulcraarranged to support said flap and levers and weights for balancing thesame and for bringing it to its seat, substantially as specified.

2. In a door and means for closing the same, in combination; a frame 10secured or integrally fixed to a vessel to be closed, averticalpassage-way for a door through the upper part of the said frame, a rimcarrying a packing forming a seat around the opening to be closed, adoor arranged to be placed over said seat and levers for raising andlowering the same, and means for drawing said door onto its seat whenclosed, a flap-door for closing the passage-way hinged or supported onfulcra, said fulcra passing through glands on the opposite sides to theexterior of the frame 10, and levers and balance mechanism fixed on saidfulcra, and means for allowing the said door to be pushed tight againstits seat by the internal pressure.

3. Means for closing a door of the class described consisting of a frame10 integral with the vessel to be closed, having a vertical passage-wayfor the door, a closure for said passage-Way consisting of a flexibleseat 23 arranged around the opening therein, a flapdoor made to lie onsaid seat and supported by fulcra engaging in brackets 24 near oppositeends thereof, and slots in said brackets engaging the flattened ends-ofthe fulcra, whereby the door may be opened or closed, and the internalpressure will be allowed to force it upward and effectively close theaperture, substantially as specified.

4. A door for closing a retort or steam-box of the class described,consisting of a dished circular plate having its seating edge turned atright angles to the plane of the seat, means for raising and loweringsaid door, consisting of a horizontal bar rigidly fixed to a projectingbracket near the lower side of the door, rounded ends of said bar andantifrictionrollers on said rounded ends, in combination with leversfulcrumed at adistance from the door and on a horizontal plane with thecen'- ter thereof, slotted openings in the forward ends of said leversto receive the antifrictionrollers on the opposite ends of thehorizontal bar, and weights on the opposite ends of said levers tocounterbalance the door,as specified.

JOHN B. HOUSTON.

Witnesses:

' WV. G. TRETHEWEY,

ROWLAND BRITTAIN.

